Loose-leaf book construction



Feb. 16, 1943. J. SCHADE; 2,311,090

LOOSE LEAF BOOK CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 24, 1941 INVENTOR c/Z/m/ 5004175 Patented F eb. 16, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOOSE-LEAF BOOK CONSTRUCTION John Schade, Holyoke, Mass., assignor to National Blank Book Company, Holyoke, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 24, 1941, Serial No. 420,180

3 Claims. 01. 129-24) This invention relates to an improved loose leaf binder construction. It is particularly adapted for ring binders in which the rings are one inch or less in diameter. But of course the principles involved are not necessarily limited to the 3 size of the rings.

The main object is to provide an economical loose leaf mechanism of the toggle kind to hold and manipulate the rings, and in doing so avoid the need for using much, if any, metal in the mechanism. It is customary to make loose leaf mechanism entirely of metal. So much is this the custom that it is common in the trade to call the mechanism of a binder, the loose leaf metal.

When the desire arises, as it has, to avoid the use of metal and substitute other materials, it is necessary to consider tool cost. In this question of cost there is involved the availability of old tools for other materials and the comparison of other materials and their tools in results for giving needed flexibility in making all that is wanted. For example, the change-over from metal to plastic materials is expensive in the factory cost. Having met these problems my invention here has to do with solving them in an economical manner. So I am concerned not only with the structure and operation of the structure disclosed as a product, but also with the economy of making such product when one faces the problem to make it under factory conditions and in different sizes and arrangements to suit the demand of customers. This will explain why certain references are made to such problems in relation to .the product of the invention.

The invention will be disclosed in the best manner I now known for putting it into practice.

In the drawing Fig. 1 is a perspective View of two toggle blocks;

Fig. 2 is one spring clip, two of which are indicated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a section showing the rings and toggle blocks in open position; and

Fig. 4 is an end View indicating a ring binder book with the spring clip attached to the back panel.

Referring to Fig. 1, the toggle blocks 1 and 2 are provided with a horizontal tongue and groove connection as at 3, thereby forming the pivot line for the toggle action of the mechanism. A spring clip 4, seen in Fig. 2, is fitted at each end of the blocks (Fig. 1) and yieldingly holds them in either open or closed position. Shoulders 5 and 6 abut when in open position (Fig. 3) to limit the opening movement of the blocks and the ring halves 1 and 8 which are suitably fastened to them.

The assembled mechanism is secured to the back panel l2 of a binder casing by fastening each clip 4 thereto as by rivets 8 (Fig. 4).

In this assembly, the lower convex surface of blocks I and 2 prevents inward distortion of the back panel. The latter does not need reenforcement for this purpose. The upper convex surface of the blocks is positioned to serve as a support for the inner margins of paper when they are turned on the rings. Compared to a customary metal type toggle construction, the two toggle blocks serve in lieu of a curved metal reenforcement for the back panel, in lieu of the flat metal toggle plates, in lieu of a combined metal spring and cover plate. The two blocks serving such several purposes are lighter in weight, made of more economical material, of fewer parts, and will serve in a substantial way the object of my invention.

I have made the toggle blocks of wood. Their form is such that they may be made by available wood working machinery. All that is necessary is to arrange the cutters in machines used for making wood molding. Such machines then will make wooden strips having the cross-sections of my two wooden toggle blocks seen in Fig. 1. The blocks may be out to any desired book size, the cut ends being inexpensively shaped as by beveling 0r rounding. In such blocks the ring halves may be easily mounted. This may be done with any number of rings, any spacing of rings, and without the need of expensive tools Thus, the intermediate product, the material shaped with the complementary block cross-section, is available for all book sizes-any number of rings at any spacing. This lends itself to economical manufacture. Moreover, the product in finished form works exceedingly well, having advantages of its own wholly apart from avoiding the use of metal.

I prefer to make the toggle blocks of wood. However they may be made of plastic material by extruding strips of desired cross-section from which the blocks may be cut. Or they may be made from composite material either like wood or like plastic with respect to its forming by cutting or extruding. Of course, they might be molded to form, but I prefer the formation by strips which may be cut to desired lengths.

Having disclosed my invention, I claim:

1. A ring binder comprising a binder case having means on its back panel to hold toggle mechanism together in operating relationship, a loose leaf toggle mechanism comprising two complementary toggle blocks having similar cross-sectional form with the toggle pivot formed by tongue and groove formation in the blocks, said blocks when together having an under surface of substantially continuous form adapted to the form of the binder back panel and an upper surface of arch-shaped cross-section and substantially continuous form adapted to contact the margins of loose leaf sheets turning and. help such operation, and binder rings carried by said blocks to be opened and closed by opening and closing the toggle mechanism.

2. A ring binder comprising a binder case having means on its back panel to hold toggle mechanism together in operating relationship, a toggle mechanism for the purpose described comprising two solid blocks of non-metallic material forming when together a composite block of arch-shaped upper surface, and substantially continuous toggle supporting lower surface of the same form as the back panel of the binder, adjacent vertical faces on such blocks having a longitudinal groove in one and a tongue in the other providing a toggle pivot and pivot support, surfaces on said blocks to limit the toggle movement, resilient means to hold the blocks together, sets of complementary ring halves carried by said blocks adapted to be opened and closed by the movements of the blocks as they are manipulated in their toggle movements.

3. A ring binder comprising a binder case having means on its back panel to resiliently hold a toggle mechanism, a toggle mechanism made of two wooden blocks one complementing the other to form a composite block of arch-shaped top surface and panel-shaped bottom surface, said blocks having adjacent substantially vertical surfaces on the longitudinal vertical plane of the composite block, horizontal and complementary tongue and groove portions oppositely arranged on such vertical surfaces forming a toggle joint between them, means to limit the movement of said joint in the binder, binding rings carried by the blocks to open and close as said joint is moved, and resilient means tending to hold the blocks in either open or closed position, said arch-shaped upper surface of the composite block being adapted by its position to contact the inner margins of loose sheets and help their turning action on the rings.

JOHN SCHADE. 

